Apparatus for building concrete and other like structures.



W. 0. POLK. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA NG CONCRETE AND OTHER LIKE STRUCTURES.

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w. 0. POLK.

APPARATUS ron BUILDING oommnzrz: AND OTHER LIKE STRUCTURES. APPLICATION IILBD SEPT. 18, 1907. 908,326, Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

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A 3 WITNESSES /NVEN7'0H J i/ZzZferCPoM' 5% I %r w; 62011.- S APPARATUS FOR BUILDING CONCRETE AND'OTHEB LIKE 8TBUOTU'BB8-, APPLIOATIOI FILED SEPT. 18, 19 07 993,32 PatentedDec129, 1908.

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W. 0. POLK. APPARATUS r02 BUILDING concnmn AND 01mm LIKE smuomms.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1907. 908,326.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4- o o o J WITNESSES INVENTOH I v v a 61 6 2 02 A TTORNEYS y W. G. POLK. APPARATUS FOR BUILDING CONCRETE AND OTHER LIKE STRUCTURES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1907. Patented Dec. 29,

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A TTOHNE Y S WALTER C. POLK, OF FORT BRANCH, INDIANA.

APPARATUS FOR BUILDING CONCRETE AND OTHER LIE STRUCTURES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

Application filed September 18, 1907. Serial No. 393,455.

5 State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Building Concrete and other Like Structures, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has reference to an improved means and method of building concrete walls for circular and angular structures, and has for objects, among others, to provide for the supporting of the forms independently of the concrete, whereby the green concrete will not be strained or broken by the weight of the forms or by removing the forms after the concrete has set; also to provide for the convenient, releasing and resetting of the forms and for their repeated elevation as the building of the wall proceeds, whereby the same forms are continuously used and much time and labor consequently saved; and further, to so support the forms that they will be held perfectly plumb and level and will not require further attention in this respect after the support has once been properly set.

The invention further resides in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan of one embodiment of my improved apparatus as when used in building a circular structure; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary central sectional view of the apparatus on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a plan partly in section of the connection between two of the sections of the outer form; Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the connection between two sections of the inner form; Fig. 6 shows in plan, the connection between two sections of the inner form; this mode of connection preferably alternating withthat shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 5; Fig; 9 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 10 is an edge view of a wedge which is employed in making the connection between the al ernate inside forms, as shown in Figs. 6 and 9; Fig. 11 is a vertical section of the outside form, illustrating the manner in which stanchions are supported therefrom, as are employed to retain the vertical reinforcing; Fig. 12 is a fragmentary view of one of the radiating T irons and its connecting tension-rod; Fig. 13 is a plan of the construction shown in Fig. 12; Fig. 14 is a side elevation of a car which is used for carrying and discharging the concrete Fig. 15 is a partial view of the hub and mast; Fig. 16 is a erspective view of a key for supporting the ub upon the mast; and Fig. 17 is a central vertical sectional view throu h the lower end of the hub.

In t e construction of my improved ap aratus, I employ a mast 20 which is prefera ly in the nature of a pipe, and is provided with a series of transverse openings 21 which are adapted to receive a key 22, shown in detail in Fig. 16, upon which is supported a widelyflanged collar 23, the latter serving to support a plurality of j 'acks 24 upon which rests a hub 25. This hub, as best shown Fig. 3, is composed of a flanged base-collar 26 and a top dished collar 27, which are connected together by a central pipe 28, the said pipe having a boresomewhat largerthan the external diameter of the'mast, and the collars closely and slidably fitting the mast, Whereby the hub may be slid thereon without un due friction;

The collar 26 has a number of ribs formed on its upper face, dividing itinto a series of pockets within which rest the inner endsof a series of radiat' T irons or ribs 29, each rib being connect? with the uppercollar 27 of the hub through the intermediary of a tension-bar or guy 30; this connection be effected by forming the bar with a forked e ii and pi'yotally connecting it to the central rib of the iron, as illustrated in Fig. 13; the bar being attached to the collar 27 by passing it into one of a series of notches formed in the edge of the collar, and thereafter tightening a nut 3 1 threaded on the extremity of the rod.

The T irons'or ribs are rigidly attached, as by clampsor other deices, to the top edge of inner and outer forms 32 and 33, respectively; the body of said forms being preferably made of sheet metal and each form being composed of a plurality of se arable sections, each section ha ing an ang e-iron border ri 'eted or otherwise secured thereto, and as many other angle irons or other reinforcing bars, as desired, secured in an intermediate position, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The se arable sections of the outer form, as best 5 own in Fig. 4, are connected together by threaded studs 34 which pass through alining apertures formed in opposing angle-irons, and are each pro' ided with an inner and outer set of nuts 35 and 36, respecti' 'ely; the inner set bearin on the inner faces of the angle-irons an serxing to separate the sections and ex and the form when screwed outwardly, an the outer set of nuts operating when tightened to draw the sections of the form together.

In order that the sections of the outer form will remain in alinement when separated, the angle-iron at the end of the section is rou'ided with dowel-pins 37 rigidly attac ed thereto, which pass through apertures of bosses 38 in the angle-iron of the next adjacent section, the said bosses providing extended bearings for the dowel-pins, which present any substantial variation of alinement of the sections when the nuts on the studs 34 are loosened.

The opposing angle-irons at the ends of the separable sections of the inner form are reversel turned from that of the corresponding ang e-irgis on the sections 'of the outer form, as showfiirnFigs. 5, 6, 8 and 9, and'are each arranged on a slight inclination providing a tapering space between each section. These tapering s aces, when the inner form is set up, are a ternately filled with wooden and iron wedges 39 and 40, respectively, the said Wedges when in position serum to expand the form and have their inner aces flush with the inner faces of the ad'acent sections, whereby a smooth finish will be given to the wall on these lines.

The opposing ends of the sections of the inner form are held to ether by a lurality of bolts 41 which pass t rough'the anges of the angle-irons at the inside of the wedges. The iron wed es 40 hare angularly and inwardly-turne ends 42, which admit of these wed es being dri en out, as when contractin t e form to shift it to a different position.

etachably connected to e outer form 33 are a series of stanchions 43, each of which is provided at its upper end with an inwardlydirected overhanging arni 44 which is provided with an aperture for receiving and retaining the vertlcal reinforcing rods for the wall, as best shown in Fig. 3. 'lhese rods,

' as the building of the wall proceeds, are

twined about transversely by other reinforcin rods or other form of horizontal reinforcmg, as desired.

For detachably connecting each stanchion 43 with the outer form, I preferably attachto the stanchion, depending ofi-set ins or dowels 45, which are spaced apart a istance equal to the width of the form, and en age with alining apertures formed in the ottom and top angle-irons, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 11.

As the building of the wall proceeds and the forms are elevated above the ground, scaffolding or staging is provided at both sides of the wall, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, said scatioldin consisting of rods 46 and 47, having upper ooked extremities whichare engaged respectively with apertures in the bottom angle-irons of the forms and with the ribs 29. The lower ends of the rods carry cross-bars 48, upon which ,the flooring 49 of the scaffolding is laid. This scaffolding serves to support the workmen in pointing up the wall as the course of construction thereof proceeds, also to release and reset the forms. The ribs 29 also support a scaffold at the center of the apparatus, which consists of a platform 50 surrounding the mast 20, and connected with the ribs 29 by rods 51; these rods having u per hooked extremities for enga g the ri s 29 in the same manner as do t e rods 47.

For filling in between the forms after they have been properly set, I provide a dum ing car 52, the body of which is substantially V-sha ed in cross section and pivotally su orte between a centrally-arranged yo rame 53, the latter being provided with grooved wheels at opposite ends which engage and travel over a rail 54 running about on the ribs 29 near the inner mar 'nal edge of the space between the forms. he frame 53 of the car is also provided with a rigidly attached chute or apron 55 which catches the concrete falling short of the s ace between the forms, and discharges it t ereinto. In order to keep the car balanced on the single frame shown, and prevent it from tipping over, the frame is pivotally connected between the yoked outer end of a rod 56, the said rod having a pivotal connection with a collar 57 which is ournaled on the mast 20; this construction serving not only to support the car in an upright position but also aiding in directing it over the track 54.

For the purpose of supportin the workmen while tampin the concrete etween the forms, and also or operating the car 52, scaffolding is arranged adjacent to andover the inner form, which consists of a series of boards 58 seated on the horizontal flanges of the ribs 29. p

In the operation of the a paratus, after the first section or height 0 wall has been wooden wedges, and thereafter tightening the bolts where the iron wedges have been driven out. By this operation the inner form is loosened from the wall.

The outer form is expanded to release it from the wall by backing off the nuts 36 collar 26 of the hub to a hoisting apparatus. The connection of such a hoisting apparatus with the collar 26, as shown in Fig. 17, may be made by eye-bolts 26 which pass through the flange of the collar. In the event this manner of elevating the hub forms and connecting mechanism be adopted, the collar 23 and jacks will be dispensed with, and the collar 26 will rest directly on the key 22. When the forms have been carried' to the properelevation and the key 22 inserted through the openingsof the mast underneath the collar 23 or 26, as the case may be, the inner form is expanded to again carry it in contact with the inner face of the wall already formed by driving in the wedges and tightening the bolts. The outer form is then contracted-by reversing the operation of the nuts 35 and 36 as when expanding the form. The horizontal reinforcing is bent to the proper radius into the form as the latter is brought up, and lashed to the vertical reinforcing bars, which are retained in a substantially vertical position by the stanchions 43 and overhanging apertured arms 44.

It is not ordinarily possible for a workman to get between the forms in doing the lashing, which makes it necessary to suspend to the T irons or ribs 29, the horizontal reinforcing during the first setting of the forms, since the vertical reinforcing is not firm enough to retain the horizontal reinforcing bars until after the first setting of the concrete.

Each time the forms are elevated and secured in position, they are filled by the car 52, which in its travel passes under any suitablesource of concrete supply. In the dumping of the car, about two-thirds of the contents of the car body will dump directly about the forms, while the remainder will in Fig. 2,'is braced by guys 60, which hold the mast at all times in a true vertical position. When the hub of the apparatus reaches the top of the first section of the mast, it is obvious that another sectionmay be added thereto and the height of the Wall continued indefinitely.

W hile I have shown my improved apparatus as applied to a circular structure, the same may be adapted with slight modifications in the details of construction to angular structures, as concrete houses, etc. The apparatus may also be modified in numerous particulars from that herein shown and described without departing from the nature of the inis vention as defined Within the scope of the annexed claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In an apparatus for building concrete structures, metal forms having angle-irons attached to the marginal edges thereof, stanchions having depending off-set pins for engagin apertures 1n the angle-irons of one of said Forms,- and an overhanging a ertured arm attached to each of said stanc 'ons for maintaining the vertical reinforcing of the concrete structure in a substantially vertical position.

2. In an apparatus for building concrete structures, metal forms having angle-irons at the bottom and top edges thereof, a mast, a hub slidable on the mast, ribs connecting the forms with the hub, and scaffolds suspended from, the ribs and the lower angle-irons of the forms at the opposite sides of the structure.

3. In an apparatus for building concrete structures, metal forms having angle-irons at the bottom and top edges thereof, a mast, a hub slidable on the mast, ribs connecting the forms with the hub, scaffolds suspended from the ribs and the lower angle irons of the forms at each side of the structure, and a platform suspended from the ribs surrounding said mast.

4. In an apparatus for building concrete structures, a mast, a hub slidable on the mast, forms, means connecting the forms with the hub, a collar supported on the mast below the hub, and jacks uniformly distributed about and seated on the collar for elevating the hub on the mast.

5. In an apparatus for building concrete .structures, a mast, forms, means for supporting the forms from the mast, a track carried by said supporting means adjacent to the forms, a dumping car movable over said track, and means connecting said car with the mast.

6. In an apparatus for building concrete Walls, a mast, a hub slidable on the mast, forms, means connecting the forms with the hub, means detachably connected to the forms for maintaining the vertical reinforcing of the wall in a substantially Vertical poname to this specification in the presencej of sitiini r, scaffocllds suspended from the {longs two subscribing witnesses. an om sai connecting means at eac si e of the wall, and a platform suspended from v WALTER POLK 5 said connecting means and surrounding the Witnesses:

mast. WILLIAM A. POLK,

In testimony whereof I have signed my HOMER T. GENUNG. 

